Nightmares are a Good Sign
by ConfusedColumbia26220
Summary: Nellie has a terrible nightmare. Sweenett. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer: Don't own Sweeney Todd. . .yada yada yada.**

**AN: Just thought I'd say how much reveiws make me happy and inspire me to write more stories! :D **

"Nellie," Sweeney said, approaching the counter where Mrs. Lovett was happily making one of her pies. She stopped momentarily to look at Sweeney.

"Yes?"

"You know how you were talking about moving away from here, the three of us, moving somewhere by the sea?" Mrs. Lovett perked up. He _had_ been listening, after all! Nellie gave Sweeney her undivided attention.

"Yes?" she asked, her voice full of wonder and hope.

"I think that's a wonderful idea." Mrs. Lovett's heart nearly stopped.

"Mr. T, are you sure? I - I - I mean, it's taken so long to get you to actually acknowledge my presence, let alone listen to anything I'm saying to you. . .I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's surprising," NEllie stuttuered and stumbled over her words. She was now staring at Sweeney as if in shock.

"Now, come on, Nellie. . ." Sweeney said walking around the counter. He held her hand, using it to pull her out from behind her counter and into the room beyond. He pulled her close to hin, making her breath catch in her throat. Sweeney tilted her head to the side. "You hear that?" he asked.

"What?"

"The birds chirping -"

"Helps to keep it cheery," MRs. Lovett finished. Sweeney looked at her and smiled. She smiled back.

"I love you, Nellie," Sweeney said.

"Come again?" Mrs. Lovett asked, not sure if she'd heard correctly.

"I said, 'I love you, Nellie'," Sweeney repeated. Nellie melted in his arms.

"You can't imagine how long I've waited to hear those words from you," she said dreamily.

"I can't imagine how I've lived without you all these years," Sweeney replied. Nellie smiled.

"Find Toby, tell him of our plans, it's about time that boy's in a proper family," she said.

"Alright," Sweeney said, then went off to find the boy. Nellie returned to making her pie while waiting for Sweeney to return. Five minutes passed, ten, fifteen, twenty. Still no sign of Sweeney nor Toby.

_Surly Sweeney's found him by now!_ Nellie thought. She looked for them all around on the main floor of the house, but didn't find them. The next place Nellie looked was Sweeney's barber shop. She had no clue what she was about to walk in on as she climbed up the steps that led to the barber shop door. She opened the dor and screamed, tears running down her face.

Sweeney was tied to his barber chair, with Toby slashing away at his with Sweeney's own razor. Nellie was frozen in her place as she continued to scream.

"Toby! _Toby!_ What are you doing?!" Nellie shrieked. There was blood everywhere, Sweeney's blood. Nellie helplessly crumpled to the floor. "No! No! Toby!" she screamed, een though it was far too late now. Sweeney was dead, but Toby was still slashing at him, mutilating Sweeney's body more with each strike. Nellie would never forget the look of helplessness, the frightened look in Sweeney's eyes, the flash of hope when she entered the room. Now he was gone, covered in a pool of his own blood.

Finally Toby dropped the razor, and it clattered to the ground. Nellie hadn't stopped crying, though. She was screaming,

"No! Sweeney!" over and over again.

"Please, don't cry, Mum," Toby said, eyes full of sadness when he looked at her.

"Toby - what were you thinking?" Nellie asked, voice choked with tears.

"I was only thinking of you," Toby said. Mrs. Lovett started shivering, rocking back and forth, repeating Sweeney's name again and again.

Sweeney heard Mrs. Lovett scream and rushed down from his barber shop to see what was wrong when he saw her standing behind her counter, screaming, he thought she'd accidentally cut herself.

"Nellie. Nellie! What's wrong? Did you cut yourself?" Sweeney asked, rushing up to her. He was truly worried about her. She hadn't stopped screaming, and her eyes were closed. Finally the screams stopped, only to be replaced with the soft murmuring of his name over and over again. He grabbed Mrs. Lovett by her shoulders. She seemed to be in another world. Sweeney shook her, frantically, trying to get her back down to Earth. Finally, she came to.

Nellie's eyes flickered open, tears spilling down her face.

"Mr. T!" she gasped. She flung her arms up around his neck. She was shaking, clinging to Sweeney for dear life, crying into his shoulder. Sweeney did his best to steady her shaking frame.

"Nelle, what's wrong?" he asked, rubbing her back soothingly. "Tell me, what's the matter? Please," Nellie looked up, maybe it was the 'please', whatever it was, she found his eyes to be glittering with unshed tears. That just made her feel worse, it reminded her of the dream, or whatever the hell it was, that she'd just experienced. She buried her head into Sweeney's shoulder again.

"I think. . ." she said shakily. "That I've experienced a very, very real nightmare!" Sweeney held her close to him.

"Must've been pretty traumatizing. Poor thing, you're shaking," Sweeney said, tears falling from his eyes. He gently lifted Nellie's head and looked her in the eyes. That haunted look scared him, but it wouldn't go awat until she was comforted. "Nellie. . .I've been meaning to talk to you about something," he said.

"Yes?" Mrs. Lovett said, looking at all his facial features. He looked like he was in pain, so much pain. It was painful for her to look at him.

"You know how you were talking about -" a wailing scream from Mrs. Lovett cut him off.

"Noooo!" she screamed. "That's _exactly_ how it began!" she squeezed Sweeney to her so hard her arms hurt.

"What happened?" Sweeney asked.

"We discussed moving by the sea, you went to look for Toby and -!"Nellie burst into sobs. Loud, heartwrenching sobs. Her sobs were filled with so much heartache, it made Sweeney's chest ache. Made his heart ache with the need to comfort her.

"And?" he asked, urging her to go on.

"And - And - Toby killed you! I saw it with my own eyes, right in front of me. All that blood, and that look in your eyes - that helpless, frightened look. The way hope flashed through briefly when I walked in. It was horrible! When I asked Toby why, he replied, 'I was only thinking of you.' It was awful. Sweeney, I love you so much, more than you'd ever know. . .you just can't possibly know how much this dream or whatever frightens me. I can't let you out of my sight!" with that said, she clung to Sweeney, and continued to sob into his chest. Sweeney was stunned. He couldn't say anything, except,

"I love you, Nellie," before kissing her temple. He swayed gently, rocking her back and forth. _Oh my God!_ He thought. _No one deserves to go through what she just did. No one. I love her so much, I can't stand seeing her like this._ He did the only thing he could think of. He gently tilted her head up and kissed her. It made the sobbing go away. That was good. He wiped the tears off her face with his thumb and felt her doing the same.

When they pulled apart, Nellie smiled. Sweeney melted when he saw that smile. He didn't think he'd ever see that smile again, during all those hysterics. He smiled back, lips closed, tears of happiness trailing down his face. He laughed, pulling Mrs. Lovett into a hug. She laughed to, hugging him back. Their hand found the other's and they began circle dancing, happy to be with each other. They spun and spun and spun until they could dance no more. They took a break from everyday life to a sort of heaven woth only each other as company. Let them take the break, God knows they needed it.


End file.
